You're Welcome
by YamiPaladinofChaos
Summary: [Jaden x Alexis] Alexis worries by the ocean and Jaden tries his best.


**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX.

Author's Notes: If I got any information wrong, I'm only able to see the Cartoon Network episodes, so I'm just going on that.

---

Throughout the still night, the halls of Duel Academy were silent, and all throughout, not a duelist was stirring...

Except one.

Alexis Rhodes sighed, crossing her arms behind her head as she leaned into the pillow, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Sleep was becoming harder and harder to find, coinciding with her growing fears and worries over her still missing brother. Plagued with doubts that he would ever be found, fears about what had happened to him were beginning to affect her severely.

Her friends worried over her, and Jasmine had taken to pointedly looking at her eyes, checking for redness and bags.

"_You don't want to start growing old at a young age, do you?"_ she could hear in her head.

Alexis sighed. "Maybe a walk outside will do me some good." She changed out of her nightgown and grabbed her school uniform.

Carefully slipping out into the sparsely watched hallways (Professor Chronos was incredibly lax on Obelisk discipline- no surprise), and careful not to wake anyone with a sound, Alexis slipped out into the night.

---

Jaden Yuki smacked his lips noisily and yawned, stumbling out of bed and rubbing his eyes tiredly. Having woken up in the middle of the night, he had tried returning to the land of dreams, but his body refused to let him. His throat was burning, and was in desperate need of a drink of water.

As he stepped out onto the landing outside, however, he caught a glimpse of a shape moving silently through the forest, ambling towards the coast.

Frowning slightly, Jaden peered closely toward the shifting shadow, until his eyes managed to catch a glimpse of golden blond hair, flashing in the moonlight.

_Alexis? But what's she doing out here at night?_ He wondered, frowning a bit more as he looked puzzled. Guiltily, he slightly hoped there was trouble afoot- after all, some of his best duels seemed to come around whenever there was trouble.

Still... even if there was no dueling involved, Alexis was wandering around at a completely unreasonable hour.

Jaden, without a second thought, ducked back into the room, silently grabbed his Slifer Red jacket and headed out after her.

---

Alexis sighed, breathing in the harsh, cold salty air of the ocean at night. The ocean had always been a source of fascination and comfort to her- its rhythmic ebb and flow was constant yet ever shifting.

Tonight the waves were calm, even playful, greeting the cliff where she sat with eager tackles, breaking themselves upon its unyielding surface.

Her brother had taken her to the ocean on plenty of occasions, making a point to show her how beautiful the waves looked when hit at just the right angle by the light.

Tonight, the moonlight was clear and bright on the surface of the waves, rippling with slow contentment.

The thought of her brother was exactly what she was trying to avoid, Alexis realized, biting her lip tightly.

Was he looking at the ocean somewhere? Was he thinking of her, remembering those carefree days, before Duel Academy?

Or...

She choked slightly, realizing there was a bit of wetness threatening to break free from her eyes. The realization came in a flash, and she looked surprised, disbelievingly placing a finger just beneath her eye.

"I'm... crying?" Alexis said slowly, eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in surprise. "How silly of me..." she murmured softly, smiling sadly.

"Alexis?"

The blonde turned suddenly, her eyes wide and her body tensed, ready for anything-

Only to find Jaden looking at her worriedly. "Are you alright? What are you doing all the way out here?" he asked, gazing at her intently.

"I just needed to think, that's all." She replied, turning back towards the moonlit ocean. "What are you doing here?" she asked, not turning back.

"I was going for a drink, but then I saw you and decided to follow. Sorry." Jaden laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his head a bit nervously.

Alexis didn't turn back, but glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. _He was worried?_ "You didn't need to." She said slowly. Turning back towards him, she smiled widely, and the moonlight flared, illuminating and accentuating her every feature.

"But thanks for caring."

The sincerity of her tone and her almost ethereal appearance in the moonlight caused Jaden's heart to skip a beeter, and he felt his face heat up, and he was thankful it was dark. "Yeah well... you're my friend, Alexis. I'd be a lousy friend if I wasn't worried as to why my friend was walking around in the middle of the night." He took a few steps forward, until he stood next to her. "Mind if I sit?" he asked.

"Of course not." Alexis replied, gesturing towards the spot next to her and she scooted over on the rock.

"Thanks." Jaden said, sitting himself down and looking out intently over the waves, his hands gripping the rock.

"I can see why you'd come here... it's nice." He looked out admiringly towards the moonlit ocean, smiling.

"Yeah. My brother... he always used to say how beautiful the ocean looked in the light." Alexis said slowly, looking downcast.

Jaden turned towards her, realization crossing his face. "Oh... is that why you're out here? You're worried about your brother?" his voice was quiet, trying his best not to sound presumptuous.

A denial died in her throat and Alexis sighed, shivering slightly as she pulled her knees up, hugging them to her chest. "Yeah..." she said quietly.

Concern was etched on Jaden's features as he looked at her intently. "We're going to find him, Alexis. I promise." He said solemnly, his brown eyes filled with determination.

Alexis looked at him in amazement, before she turned away, the sorrow returning to her face easily. "I wish I could believe that... but..." she began softly, but suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder and twisted her around.

"We will find him." Jaden swore, staring at her with incredible intensity. "I promise." He repeated.

"Jaden..." she whispered quietly.

A bright smile filled his face. "So don't be sad, alright?" Jaden grinned widely, so bright and so happy that Alexis felt her gloom lift and she smiled back.

"Alright..." she replied, smiling back slightly. The wind snapped past her and she shivered, crossing her arms and rubbing them against her bare shoulders, cursing the fact that the uniform wasn't more adaptable to frigid conditions.

Suddenly, there was a rustle of clothing, and hands were placing a jacket over her shoulders. Alexis turned her head back and looked at Jaden, amazement once again on her face.

"Come on. You'd better get back to your dorm before you get sick." He grinned, clad now in only a t-shirt.

"Thank you." Alexis said gratefully, standing up and smiling widely.

"I'll walk you back." Jaden added, stepping forward slightly, looking at her expectantly.

Giving him another grateful look, the two of them walked in silence, back toward the interior of the island. As the road forked however, going off in the different dorm directions, they paused.

"If you want... I could walk all the way with you." Jaden offered, but Alexis shook her head.

"No... I'm alright now, thanks to you. Do you want your jacket?" she asked.

Jaden shook his head in dismissal. "No... I'm alright. You hang onto it. I've got another."

"Alright... I'll see in you in class tomorrow." Alexis said quickly, and turned to leave.

"Alright. See ya." He waved in parting, and moved to turn away.

"Wait." Jaden paused, and went still, turning back towards Alexis with a questioning look on his face.

Quickly, feather light, Alexis pressed her lips against his cheek gently. Softly, she whispered into his ear, "That's for everything."

Before he could respond or move, she smiled at him one more time and left, leaving him standing there, in the crossroads.

Slowly, as though he couldn't really believe it, he touched his hand to his cheek reverently. After a moment, Jaden smiled widely, looking off into the distance, where she had gone.

"You're welcome."


End file.
